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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Patrick Graham

Family forced to leave house after ceiling collapses on son's head

A mum has been forced to leave her home after a ceiling collapsed on her son's head.

Amanda Bilal-Jones, 62, claims her home has been blighted by flooding since August last year, which recently resulted in her son running in fear, "screaming", after a bedroom ceiling collapsed on him.

The 62-year-old claims she has reported the flooding to Onward Homes, but the water damage has left her bedroom inhabitable and means her son is forced to sleep on a couch while Amanda sleeps in his room.

Onward Homes have now temporarily rehoused the family in order to carry out repairs.

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Amanda told the ECHO: "I reported more leaks to Onward Homes on December 28. They told me no-one would be out until January 5 (2023) due to Xmas and New Year holidays.

"On the 5th they said they could not carry out the work as there’s only one workman, and it needed two, one to hold the ladder and he was out at another job. They made further arrangements to complete the work on the 11th.

"It was established water was again coming from the guttering as reported by a roofer, who made a report on an emergency call out.

"The water was coming into my bedroom in buckets full".

Her son Doyle, 25, added: "We had a big bin to collect the leaks. It's like a big shower, it may as well be raining in the room.

“I was there with the mop bucket holding the water, running downstairs, putting it in the bath and running back and repeating.

"Today the whole ceiling came caving in on the back of my neck and shoulders. I didn’t know what was going on and ran out screaming. It was scary.

"No-one is getting to the bottom of what's happening as we keep getting people coming out and doing little fiddly things. They're not actually getting to grips with whatever it is".

Amanda Bilal-Jones outside her top bedroom where the ceiling collapsed following months of flooding. (Image: Patrick Graham/Liverpool ECHO) (Patrick Graham/Liverpool ECHO)

Amanda, who said she has taken legal action regarding Onward Homes, claims she has been left with a hole in her bedroom ceiling and fungi growing on her walls.

She added: "The conditions have caused a lot of stress and inconvenience for me; physical discomfort due to having to remove the water and causing me to be unable to sleep properly at night".

Along with alleged loss and damage to her belongings Amanda said her house also now has an odour due to the damp.

She said: "I’m so embarrassed by the conditions I'm reluctant to invite friends and relatives to visit”.

Back in August 2022 Amanda claims she was temporarily rehoused while repairs were carried out, but she claims the repairs did not solve the problem.

Water marks on the outside corner of Amanda's home part of the flooding issues she has suffered over the last 11 months. (Image: Patrick Graham/Liverpool ECHO) (Patrick Graham/Liverpool ECHO)

Amanda said she feels unsafe and fears there will be "further collapses in a home she has lived in for over 20 years".

She said past flooding had occurred with repairs by previous landlords, Liverpool Housing Trust, who amalgamated into Onward Homes Limited in 2018.

A spokesperson for Onward Homes said: "The ceiling in Amanda’s home has been made safe and she’s been offered temporary accommodation whilst we carry out a thorough investigation and repair.

“Amanda’s home tends to suffer from blocked gutters, so we do monitor and clear the gutters regularly. In this case, it seems a bird nesting in the chimney stack created a temporary blockage that resulted in water backing up and causing damage.

“We apologise for any distress this has caused, and we’re in touch with Amanda to understand what support she needs in the meantime”.

This time Amanda hopes the repairs will be adequate to prevent a repeat of the flooding.

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